Shady Business: How to Choose Window Coverings for the Office

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Window treatments aren’t just for homes; they can also play a powerful role in your business, setting a tone for your brand and providing the functionality necessary for you and your team members to work efficiently. But before you make a blasé decision, you should consider all the ways your window treatment choices could affect your business—and the options available to you.

Lighting and Productivity

Let’s start by evaluating how lighting can affect your employees’ productivity. There are many factors to consider here, including the presence or absence of lighting, the need for different types of lighting in different situations, and the need for privacy in some cases.

Mood. Light affects our emotions in a variety of ways. Bright light, in particular, is shown to make people happier—especially when exposed to bright light on a regular basis. Because natural blue light is linked to our circadian rhythms, letting in more bright, natural light during the day can make your workers feel more energetic, thereby boosting productivity.

Morale. You can also improve team morale by installing the right types of window treatments. Not only is it a powerful aesthetic choice that can define the character of the office, but it can also give workers more options if it offers a gradient of different lighting possibilities. For example, if a team wants more natural light to feel happier and connected with the outside world, they can do it. If they want more privacy, they can have that too.

Vision. Lighting is also important to maximize vision. Using shades and blinds can help you control the amount of lighting in the room to allow workers to see what they’re working on—without blinding them in the process. Window treatments are also a useful tool for mitigating the effects of computer vision syndrome; reducing glare, and focusing the light, so it illuminates a workspace without getting into employees’ eyes is ideal.

Aesthetics and Branding

You’ll also need to consider the aesthetic value of your window treatments. While it may not seem like your superficial choices can play a significant role in your business, you have to consider how your office layout can affect perceptions of your brand.

Colors and materials. Once you’ve decided on a specific style, you can choose a specific type of material and color to match the mood of a given room, or the aesthetics of your brand. For example, bamboo shades could give your office a more relaxed feel while still giving an air of elegance. You can also choose colors that match those of your company’s brand to increase brand consistency throughout the office.

Value. Different shades and blinds offer different levels of value, which may matter if you’re pitching your services to a client (in some industries). For example, if it’s clear you purchased your window treatments from a bargain bin, it may not reflect well on the success of your company. That isn’t to say you should choose the most expensive option for the pure sake of looking more successful to your clients, but the perceived value of each window treatment option should be taken into consideration.

Style and character. Most importantly, you’ll need to think about what each “style” of window treatment says about the character of your brand. Solar shades that offer minimal obscurity but filter out UV rays, for example, shows that you care about your office workers, but suggests a kind of transparency to your brand. Motorized blinds, or modern aluminum blinds can make your brand seem more advanced, or more modern.

Thankfully, most styles of window treatments offer a wide variety of options, so you can customize your choices and find the perfect fit for your brand.

Functionality and Options

The practical benefits and functionality of your window treatments should also be considered. You might think that all types of shades, blinds, and shutters have the same main options (open and shut), but different styles can offer radically different benefits:

Flexibility and adaptability. Even the most consistent businesses could do with more options on the go. It’s, therefore, best to select window treatment options that give you the greatest number of possibilities in the future. For example, using layered shades gives you multiple options, including pure natural light, slightly filtered light, and total obscurity for greater privacy.

Remote possibilities. If you’re installing blinds in a private office, consider getting motorized blinds, which can be activated remotely. A busy executive doesn’t want to be interrupted from work to get up and adjust the blinds every time the sun changes positions in the sky. Plus, it looks cool to prospective clients and new hires.

Energy savings. Some types of window treatments also offer energy-saving benefits. They might filter out more sunlight, or serve as an additional layer of insulation to maintain the office temperature. Either way, you’ll spend less money on utilities to heat or cool the building.

Financing

Because window treatments aren’t very expensive (depending on which options you choose), it probably won’t be a substantial decision for your brand in the grand scheme of things. However, you’ll still want to plan your budget so you can maximize the value of each dollar you spend.

Budget. Think carefully about your options. In general, higher priced window treatments tend to be made from better materials, or offer more features, but this isn’t always the case. Shop with multiple providers to get a sense of the “true” cost of each window treatment type, and set a budget your office is comfortable with before buying.

In the end, window treatments for an office might entail considering more options than you would for your home. But, your employees and visitors will notice the difference in more ways than one. Not to mention, the added value to your office space. Consider your new office window coverings an all around WIN!